Coup de Grâce
Coup de Grâce (必殺技, Hissatsuwaza lit. "Deathmove"), also known as deathmoves, are special battle abilities in the Dragon Quest series.
Appearances[edit]
Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King[edit]
Deathmoves can be performed by two or three monsters when certain special teams are formed. They have various effects, ranging from group attacks, to party buffs, and even combining together to form an even more powerful monster. Since monster teams cannot be controlled by the player, it is random if a monster team will perform their deathmove. One drawback is that when a deathmove is performed, that monster will only act once even if they are capable of performing two actions.
Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies[edit]
Each vocation has a different Coup de Grâce with different effects that can be used at will once the character enters the activation state. The ability becomes available for characters that are at least level 10 and can be triggered under a variety of conditions; the higher that character's level then the longer the player will have the option to activate a Coup de Grâce. When a character is able to use a Coup de Grâce, a notification is given saying:
[Party member] is primed to perform a coup de grâce!
The effects of Coup de Grâce do not cost any MP but will only last for only a short period of time. They do not carry over after the battle ends, or if the character dies. If all four party members are primed for a Coup de Grâce, they can together perform a Co-op de Grâce.
Priming persistence[edit]
| Level range | Turn amount |
|---|---|
| 10~24 | 6 |
| 25~49 | 7 |
| 50~74 | 8 |
| 75~99 | 9 |
Triggers[edit]
The frequency of a Coup de Grâce occurring per turn is amplified by the following conditions:
| Condition | Boost |
|---|---|
| Critical fan equipped | +6% |
| Overcritical fan equipped | +7% |
| Hypercritical fan equipped | +8% |
| Dire critical fan equipped | +10% |
| Combat action medal | +3% |
| Martial artist, Ranger, or Luminary | +3% |
| 1 other party member primed | +0.8% |
| 2 other party members primed | +10% |
| 3 other party members primed | +36% |
| 10% damage taken | +0.75% |
| 20% damage taken | +1.5% |
| 30% damage taken | +3% |
| 40% damage taken | +6% |
| 50% damage taken | +12% |
| 60% damage taken | +24% |
| 70% damage taken | +48% |
| 80% damage taken | +95% |
List of Coup de Grâce by vocation[edit]
| Name | Vocation | Effects |
|---|---|---|
| Critical Claim | Warrior | This coup de grâce unleashes an attack that always inflicts a Critical Hit. |
| Roaring Tirade | Martial Artist | Similar to War Cry, except it cannot be resisted. Further, it also increases tension by one level. |
| Choir of Angels | Priest | Restores 30%~40% of Max HP to allies and cures status effects at once |
| Rough 'n Tumble | Minstrel | Evasion increases to 50% and the ability to counterattack goes to 25%. |
| 0 Zone | Mage | Reduces MP cost to zero for a short while. |
| Itemized Kill | Thief | Guaranteed item drop from the enemy it is used on. |
| Knight Watch | Paladin | Attacks will do nothing for a few turns on the person who used it (not even Disruptive Wave can get through). All of the opponents are enraged to the person who used it. |
| Brownie Boost | Ranger | Boosts the user's attack, defense, and Breath resistance by 25%. |
| Tension Boost | Gladiator | Boosts tension up to 50 or 100 (maximum). |
| Voice Of Experience | Armamentalist | Increases the amount of EXP you get from the battle if you win by a variable amount (1.1~2.0 multiplier) |
| Spelly Breath | Sage | Recovers 20%~50% of Max MP to the caster. |
| Disco Tech | Luminary | Causes all enemies to boogie and raises tension by one level. This is functionally identical to Roaring Tirade. |
Co-op de Grâces[edit]
If all four party members are primed for a Coup de Grâce, then upon using them they will perform a Co-op de Grâce, selected from a menu. The available choices for Co-op de Grace are based on the party's current vocations. For example, if the party is made up of only warriors and rangers, only the Quadraslash option is available.
| Name | Vocations | Effects |
|---|---|---|
| Quadraslash | Warrior Ranger |
All four party members attack at once. Damage is sum of allies attack minus enemy defence. |
| Omnipotense | Martial Artist Gladiator |
Increases all party members' tension by 3 levels. |
| Soul Asylum | Priest Paladin |
Renders the entire party invincible for a few turns (similar to Knight's Watch). |
| Cast Away | Mage Sage |
Reduces the party's MP cost to zero for a few turns. |
| Haulellujah | Armamentalist Thief |
Chance to earn extra exp., gold, and items. Exp and gold multiplier is 1.5~3.0 |
| Electro Light | Minstrel Luminary |
Turns all enemies into metal slimes. |
Dragon Quest Heroes: The World Tree's Woe and the Blight Below[edit]
Each playable character has their own Coup de Grâce, which can be performed when they enter High Tension mode. It will be performed automatically once their tension meter has run out or it can be activated early by pressing the Tension button, which will end High Tension mode early.
Dragon Quest Heroes II: Twin Kings and the Prophecy's End[edit]
Each character activates their Coup de Grâce via the same method as in the previous game. Returning characters have access to the same abilities as before as well.
| Character | Coup de Grâce |
|---|---|
| Lazarel | Gigagash |
| Teresa | Gigagash |
| Desdemona | Whopper Chop |
| Cesar | Blade of Ultimate Power |
| Angelo | Pearly Gates |
| Carver | Boulder Toss |
| Maribel | Hellfire |
| Meena | Starfall |
| Ruff | Lambpede |
| Torneko | Golden Oldies |
| Ragnar* | Summons Healie |
- Ragnar is only available in the Nintendo Switch port of the two games.
Dragon Quest Tact[edit]
Coups de Grâce are exclusive to characters belonging to the Hero family. They cannot be used right away in battle, requiring a few turns to charge, and most can only be used once per battle.
